I gotta say, in the almost 26 years that I’ve been alive, I’ve been lucky. My experience with terminal illness is limited to grandparents who lived full, long lives and pets that had to be put down. Sad as those experiences were for me, I’m guessing it doesn’t compare to realizing you have melanoma that’s spread to your brain, with a 5% chance of surviving.
Watching last night’s Grey’s Anatomy, it got me thinking. I read here and there that Izzie’s character is inconsistent. She wants to fight, then she’s not sure. She doesn’t tell anyone that anything is wrong with her for a long, long time. I’ve never been in that position, but to me, it doesn’t seem inconsistent. It’s human nature to be indecisive, especially when it comes down to a decision as huge as this one.
One thing that is bugging me is that Izzie has a mother out in a trailer park somewhere. And the daughter she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager. Now that everyone knows she’s sick, are these unseen and unheard characters going to come into play at all? It doesn’t bode well to me for the writers to just pretend they don’t exist now. Someday, her daughter is going to want to know about her biological mother. Not that I pretend to know how they would deal with that anyway.
What would you do if you had maybe but a few months to live? Would you tell your family and friends right away? Would you agree to have your head and stomach cut open, knowing there was a 95% chance it wouldn’t do any good? Or would you take those precious few months and live the hell out of them?
Me, I have no idea. Like I said, I’ve got no firsthand knowledge to sway my judgment one way or the other. All I know for right now is, I’m thankful I don’t have to make that decision.
Clacked by Cate Cropp
on Mar 20, 2009 @ 17:00 EST5EDT
I have a medical condition that if my aorta rips I have a 5% chance of living to see the next day. I just don’t worry about it because there is a greater chance, by far, of me getting hit by a plane crashing on me while walking my dog.
I was unable to even make a decision regarding my cat, let alone my own life. One minute I knew I had to put him down, the next I couldn’t. Can you imagine if you had to choose between certain death and certain fight, when both options hold pain and suffering? Do you want to ride out the months until you die trying for some normalcy, or will you be angry at the end that you didn’t fight? And how do you decide? If she fights now, she could die even sooner. I think she’s being incredibly strong in light of her condition.
I think I would try to fight, because it’s the only thing you can do – why would anyone give up? we only have one life and we have to do everything we can to save it, to take care of it until the last minute? If not for us, for the people that love us. I don’t think giving up is an option, but I understand not telling some people so you don’t hurt them. If I could I wouldn’t tell my parents so they don’t suffer, just my partner and friends so they can be with me. I don’t see how they’re going to save Izzie, it’s clear she has very little chances and I don’t think they’ll create another ‘miracle’ in Grey’s… they already made one up when Mer came back from the dead when she was more than dead. I think Izzie will be cured in her brain, but something else will kill her, like her liver or her skin.. she’s got it everywhere now… I still think she’s leaving. Sorry to all Izzie fans, but it looks that way. Poor Alex, say I.